Tuition fee deposits

Some of our postgraduate taught programmes require you to pay a deposit.

The deposit will be offset against your tuition fee, and is a minimum payment. You can opt to pay more of your tuition fee in advance if you want to.

Deposits can vary, but full-time programmes are normally charged at:

  • £1,500 for a full Masters programme
  • £1,000 for a Postgraduate Diploma
  • £500 for a Postgraduate Certificate

If a deposit is required, it will be listed in the Fees and Costs section of your programme page on our postgraduate degree finder.

Visit our postgraduate degree finder 

Deposit deadlines

The deadline for paying your deposit will be included in your offer letter, and will vary depending on your chosen programme. If you fail to pay your deposit by the stated deadline, your offer may be withdrawn.

If you are having difficulty meeting our deposit deadline, please contact your admissions team. A deadline extension can be granted at the discretion of your school or college.

Contact details for your admissions team are provided on your programme page in our postgraduate degree finder. 

Find contact details in our postgraduate degree finder 

Deposit refunds

Deposit refunds can only be made in the following circumstances:

  • If you request a refund of the deposit within 14 days of payment being received by the University of Edinburgh. 
  • If the University is unable to provide the academic programme originally applied for, offered and accepted, and you do not want to take a place on any alternative programme.
  • If you fail to meet the conditions of your offer, including any English language requirements, and you provide appropriate validating evidence. If you made no attempt to meet the offer conditions no refund will be given.
  • If your UK student visa or ATAS clearance application is refused or rejected, except where refusal is a result of:
    • a fraudulent visa application
    • insufficient funds
    • supply of incorrect documents

Deposits cannot be refunded for any other reason and can only be transferred to another programme starting in the same academic year.

Making a refund request

If you request a refund for a tuition fee deposit as a result of exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or bereavement, the decision will be made by schools or colleges on a case-by-case basis.

If you request a refund for a tuition fee deposit, your application will be automatically withdrawn. You should contact your admissions office if you want to have your application for the same programme reactivated. You will need to re-apply if you want to be considered for the same programme, or a different programme, in a subsequent year.

Refund requests must be made in writing (via email) to your school or college admissions team.

Contact details for your admissions team are provided on your programme page in our postgraduate degree finder. 

Find contact details in our postgraduate degree finder

Deposit exemptions

If your programme requires a deposit you will need to pay it to secure your place, unless you qualify for an exemption.

You will not need to pay a deposit if you:

  • are sponsored by a University of Edinburgh recognised sponsor or have a full scholarship covering your tuition fees. You must provide acceptable evidence, no later than the deadline by which the deposit would have been due.
  • previously studied at the University of Edinburgh and received one of the following bursaries or scholarships:
    • Rest of UK (RUK) Undergraduate Bursary
    • Scotland Accommodation Bursary
    • University of Edinburgh Scholarship
    • Scotland Scholarship
    • Access Edinburgh Scholarship

Transferring deposits

If you have paid a deposit for a postgraduate degree programme but want to accept a place on a different postgraduate programme at the University, starting in the same academic year, your tuition fee deposit can be transferred to the new programme.

Your tuition fee deposit cannot be transferred to a different programme starting in a different academic year.

Deferrals

If we agree to your deferral request, and you have:

  • not yet paid a deposit - you will need to pay the deposit in order to secure the offer of the deferred place
  • already paid a deposit - we will retain the deposit and allocate it to the tuition fees due for the deferred place in the following year

If we refuse your deferral request, and you have already paid a tuition fee deposit, a refund will be at the discretion of your school or college.

School and college deposit policies

A number of our colleges and schools operate their own policy for tuition fee deposits. If you have applied for a programme at one of these schools or colleges, please refer to their own deposit pages.